Repairs start on vandalised Dartmouth Park fountain

Repairs costing £6,000 have begun to a drinking fountain in West Bromwich's Dartmouth Park that was shattered in a vandal attack months after it was unveiled.

Yobs kicked off the centrepiece urn and smashed the drinking bowl of the £35,000 sandstone fountain in July.

The brass fittings were damaged, as well as the step beneath. Stonework and taps on the feature were also affected. The vandals are thought to have been trying to steal copper piping feeding the fountain.

Work to repair the fountain started yesterday and council chiefs are considering a CCTV security system to deter would-be vandals in future.

Councillor Derek Rowley, the borough's cabinet member for neighbourhood services, said: "Repairs to the fountain are actually starting today and should take three or four days to complete, costing approximately £6,000. We are also looking at how we can avoid repeat attacks – possibly installing CCTV and increasing park warden patrols."